"'If the law supposes that,' said Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, 'the law is a ass — a idiot. If that's the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is, that his eye may be opened by experience — by experience.'" Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist

"Manama mana mana mana..... doo doo doo" Sesame Street Characters

“The research team led by the World Economic Forum asked two key questions concerning the future of Bahrain: 1. Will the Kingdom of Bahrain be able to implement the necessary economic and political reforms and enforce the rule of law, both in public and private governance? 2. Will the complex and uncertain regional situation affect the Kingdom of Bahrain’s internal order and stability?

“The scenarios tackle a range of critical issues for the future of the country, including:
- Unemployment and skill levels
- Political reform and regional relationships
- Potential impact of conflict between the US and Iran on Bahrain’s economy and social  stability….” 

Interesting the points on implementing economic and political reforms and enforcing the rule of law. Especially in the case of Bahrain. Obviously the two points are related: if you institute economic and political reform, you do not need to worry about the ability to enforce the law. You only worry about your own people obeying your laws, if you know that they believe your laws or the way they are enforced are not in their interest; well, maybe you should do something about that.

Speaking of which: maybe it helps if you stop using extra-legal methods to recruit foreigners as citizens in order to offset the Shi’a majority of your population. Maybe you should start hiring your unemployed Shi’a population into the security services and the military instead of hiring foreigners (of the right sect) from Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan to help suppress them.

That way, a majority of your people will feel that you are enforcing your own laws and not plotting against them, as you seem to be doing now. Also, maybe you can curb the avarice of the various potentates who have been expropriating public lands for their development projects, in a tiny island nation that has a shortage of housing for a majority of its native people.

Then you would not have to worry about a conflict between the USA and Iran and its impact on your social stability, because there won’t be any impact.

Some of these touchy issues are not discussed in the genteel fora of the World Economic Forum, nor do they appear in their genteel reports.

Cheers

mhg